Suction-cleaner.



0. BRAKE.

SUCTION CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.13l 19154 1,291,802, Patented Jan. 21,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

fig 1.

WITH/58858:

//1/ l/E/V mf? UNA BRAKE.

By SVM mh 0. BRAKE.

SUCTION CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. I3. Ism.

1,29,8@2 lzllliod Jam. 21, 191).

2 SHHLTS YSHEEI 2.

@a @RA BRAKE BY 7M www A TTOR/VEYS sTaTns PATENT oTTroE.

OBA BRAKE, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT LYNN LAWRENCE, TRUSTEE, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SUCTION-CLEANEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Application filed November 13, 1915. Serial No. 61,275.-

motor chamber which is in full lines, and

Fig. 2 is a bottom view thereof.

Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a sectional elevation at right an les to Fig. 1, and lengthwise of the shoe an brush. Fig. 4 is a detail of the brush carrying frame and the rollers or wheels which carry the machine mounted thereon. Fig. 5 is an end elevation, partially sectioned and enlarged, of the front portion vof the shoe or casing and the parts mounted therein. Fig. 6 is a cross section showing the brush and the carrying wheels at'ditlernt elevations from Fig. 5 in respect to the oor.

The invention herein lies in certain novel features and details of construction as set forth in the description and claims.

Thus, the said shoe or casing C is peculiar in this particularly, that it is wide open over its entire bottom and of a size which affords a suction surface of about seventy square inches. This extends or spreads the cleansing area accordingly and enables the fan to dis lace a very large volume of air. The out ine of the said casing is seen in plan in Fig. 2, and the bottom opening is co-extensive with the side walls thereof.

It will also be observed that I operate the machine at decided elevations above the surface over which it travels, as seen in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5 and convenient means are provided to adjust the carrying means to the level wanted to do efficient' work in any given case. Thus, in Figs.. 1 and 3, the machine is supposed to be engaged in cleaning a carpet or rug, or the like, and the same or corresponding elevation of the parts is shown in Fig. 5. The length of nap of carpts an'd rugs varies, and the machine must adjusted accordingly, and the means provided for this purpose are effective and simple, as will presently be seen.

In these views it is to be further observed that the carpet or rug R is raised by suction from the floor upon which it lies and on which the carrying wheels W travel, so that the carpet itself helps to close of the air about the edge of the shoe and suction is forced to occur mainly through the carpet over practically the entire area covered at the time by the shoe. Of course the area traversed 1s constantly changing but the suction through the fan F remains the same Y continuously.

Now, as to the traveling or working elevatlon of the machine and the means employed for this purpose, it will be seen that I show a skeleton frame consisting in this instance of a metallic bar b of a suitable size and bent at right angles at its ends 4 to provide end supports for the said wheels W and the brush B and pivots or fulcrums 5 thereon for the shoe. Pivot screws 5 serve as such fulcrums or pivots, and the said frame is tiltably or pivotally supported thereon and adjustable as to elevation by means of a screw rod d fixed to the middle thereof anl provided with a leeve nut 8 engaged in or through the front top angle or edge of the shoe as seen in Figs. 1 and 6. Rotation of said nut by hand controls the elevation'of the shoe in respect to the carpet or other article to be cleansed. The said wheels are supported on shaft S rotatably mounted at its ends in said frame in front of the said pivots 5 and the brush B has a shaft S of suitable construction to receive the bristles 7 therein and is rotatably and separably mounted in said arms 4 at the rear of the said pivots. This brings the said wheels and the brush about equal distances from -the pivots 5 and one is raised as the other is lowered by the tilting of the frame b. The adjustments thus provided afford convenient means for. xing the elevation of the shoe and the brush inrespect to the work. i

In this connection it will also be seen that the wheels or rollers W are'directly with.- in the ends of the shoe at its front and fixed on shaft S, while the brush is at the rear thereof and approximately near the middle of the shoe, and gears 9 and 10 operatively connect the said shafts S and S. These relative positions have been found to be very important on account of the character of the Work the brush is intended to per,- form. It will be seen the brush has the dual function of beating and sweeping the carpet, the rotation Abeing reversely to the direction of the travel of the wheels of the machine and at a high rateof speed. To these ends the brushes or bristles indicatedby 7 are set lengthwise in shaft S in sinuous or wave like rows,three in this instance and uniformly spaced apart their entire length. 'Hence as the brush is rotated it is adapted 'to develop high and low points successively in opposite rows, as seen, for example, atm land n, in Fig. 3. That is, the high polnt m in a given row or line of the bristles 7 comes directly opposite a depression n in the next preceding line in the order of rotation, and as the carpet is sucked up into the depression it is struck a beating blow` by the succeeding high oint. It must not be inferred however, t at the bristles or brushes are of diderent lengths, because they are of the same length and the difference in-elevation on a given' line lengthwise is caused by the sinuosity of the line or row. Sweeping by the brush is a continuous `operation in high and low points alike since the brush revolves at a rapid speed under the normal travel of the tool and the traction of the wheels W can be depended upon to impart such action to the brush through the two gears connecting said parts. lt will also be lseen that to make the brush effective in this work it must be set back in themachine away from the edge of the shoe and where the carpet is lifted from the Hoor. Hence l have located the brush in the clear at or near the middle of the shoe and where its work will be equally edective its full length. A great di'erence has also been found in the operation of the machine over a front location besimple means seen in Figs. 3 and 4, comprising a lat loop'shap'ed driving shank 1d rigid with the gear 10 adapted te enter brush for removal. simple.

freely in a slot in the end of the brush shaft or body, while the opposite end of said shaft is supported by a spindle or spur 16 rigid with arm 4 of frame b and adapted to enter a bore in the said body against a spring pressed stop 17 therein. Lengthwise movement of the brush on said spindle against the pressure of spring 18 enables the opposite end of the brush to be disengaged from the shank 15 and this releases the Replacement is equally rlhe suction fan F is located in a suitable casing C fixed upon casing C and has a hub 71. set centrally over the suction hole in the top ofsaid casing C and is driven by an electric motor in the dome D, as usual. The

said fan is made especially effective by the novel construction and arrangement of the blades 20. It will be seen that theA said blades 20 are radially disposed and curved lengthwise and Haring from the said hub outward past the flange 22 about said opening at which point the blades are shouldered downward behind the said flange and of uniform width from said shoulder outward. ln my experience with this class of machines YI have found a tendency to develop what may be termed a dead air space just beneath or about the hub of the fan, owing I probably, to the slow speed of rotation there as compared with its periphery, and this hasinterfered with the edectiveness of the suction of the fan. But by the present construction of the said blades and conical back 2l .the suction is made uniform over the entire opening and there is no dead space and an lncrease of air displacement is made possible.

A wheel W carries the rear4 of the shoe.

What ll claim is:

1. A suction cleaner as described comprising a shoe, a tilting frame havin rearwardly projecting arms yat its ends 1n said shoe, carrying wheels supported .on said frame in advance .of said pivots and a rotatable brush mounted therein at the rear of.,said pivots and means to adjust said frame.

2. A suction cleanin machine as described oomprisin -a s oe and a frame pivoted in the en sy thereof and means to adjust said frame about its ivots, in combination with carrying whee s supported by said frame in advance of said pivots and a rotatable brush at the rear thereof and transmitting means operativelyconnecting said wheels with said brush.

3. A suction cleaning machine as delll@ lid@

scribed comprising la shoe open across its 4 bottom from edge to edge and having an exhaust opening in its top, in combination with a rotatable brush relatively at the `immediate front of said opening, a tilting Mitt freine carrying- V said brush having end and means to fix the respective elevations lo pivots in said frame and carrying wheels of brush and Wheels located at the front of on said frame in advance of said brush. said frame and shoe.

4L. A suction cleaning machine as de- In testimony whereof I ax my signature scribed comprising a shoe and a frame havin presence of two Witnesses. ing pivots in the ends thereof, e, set of carry- ORA BRAKE. ing Wheels supported in the front portion Witnesses: of said frame and a. brush in the rear por- R. B. MOSER,

tion thereof on opposite sides of said pivots, GEO. E. KRICKER. 

